Deputy Drilling Manager

Since its creation in 2014, Harbour has grown to become one of the world’s largest and most geographically diverse independent oil and gas companies.  Today, Harbour is producing between 475,000 and 485,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day with significant production in Norway, the UK, Germany, Argentina and North Africa. Harbour benefits from competitive operating costs and resilient margins, and a broad set of growth options including near-infrastructure opportunities in Norway, unconventional scalable opportunities in Argentina and conventional offshore projects in Mexico and Indonesia. With low GHG emissions intensity and a leading CO2 storage position in Europe, Harbour remains committed to producing oil and gas safely and responsibly to help meet the world’s energy needs. Harbour is headquartered in London with approximately 5,000 staff and contractors across its operations and offices. 

Ours is an inclusive workplace where individuals can bring their whole selves to their job and feel recognised for the value they add. We are committed to creating a genuinely inclusive and supportive working environment to ensure everyone has a positive experience at work.

At Harbour Energy, we aim to recruit, retain and promote our people based on their unique skills, regardless of race, gender or background. We need excellent people to help shape and develop the future of our company. Could this be you?

If so, we want to hear from you.

The Drilling Manager is accountable for the overall technical performance, safety compliance, and successful execution of drilling and well operations activities. Key areas include:

•    Drilling Operations Governance:
Ensuring all drilling activities comply with company standards, well engineering practices, and regulatory requirements.
•    Well Delivery:
Accountable for safe, timely, and cost-effective execution of drilling, completion, testing, and workover operations.
Health, Safety, Environment & Security (HSES):
•    Ensuring drilling operations are conducted with the highest standards of safety, environmental protection, and process integrity.
Budget and Resource Management:
•    Managing drilling budgets, cost forecasts, contracts, and resource allocation to optimize operational performance.
•    Contractor & Stakeholder Management:
Managing drilling contractors and service companies while ensuring effective communication between all stakeholders.
•    Technical Integrity:
Maintaining well integrity standards throughout the well lifecycle and ensuring adherence to drilling engineering best practices.

Areas of Responsibility
•    Leadership & Team Management
Lead drilling engineers, wellsite supervisors, and operational support teams. 
Mentor and develop drilling personnel to support competency growth and succession planning. 
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. 
•    Drilling & Well Operations Management
Develop and oversee drilling programs, procedures, and operational plans. 
Review and approve well designs, drilling procedures, and risk assessments. 
Monitor drilling operations performance and ensure adherence to approved programs. 
Manage well control preparedness and emergency response readiness. 
•    Project Execution
Support field development planning and drilling campaign execution. 
Coordinate rig schedules, logistics, and operational resources. 
Monitor operational KPIs including NPT, cost performance, and safety metrics. 
Ensure lessons learned are captured and implemented across operations. 
•    Compliance and Assurance
Ensure compliance with local regulations and international drilling standards. 
Lead operational audits, technical reviews, and incident investigations. 
Promote continuous improvement through performance analysis and operational reviews.
Areas of Competence
The Drilling Manager must demonstrate strong technical, operational, managerial, and interpersonal competencies essential for drilling operations in the oil and gas industry.
•    Technical Competence
Strong knowledge of drilling, completion, and well intervention operations. 
Well control and well integrity management expertise. 
Familiarity with drilling engineering software and reporting systems. 
Understanding of rig operations, directional drilling, cementing, and drilling fluids. 
•    Managerial Competence
Strong leadership and operational management skills. 
Financial and commercial understanding for drilling cost control and contract management. 
Strategic planning and decision-making abilities. 
Ability to manage high-risk operations under dynamic conditions. 
•    Behavioral / Interpersonal Competence
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills. 
Strong commitment to HSE leadership and operational excellence. 
Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary and multicultural teams. 
High adaptability to remote operations and fast-paced operational environments.

Inclusive recruitment is a vital part of our diversity, equity and inclusion strategy. Whatever your background, if you feel you need an adjustment during our selection process to suit your needs, please let us know, and we will be happy to help.

For further information or support on any of these points, please reach out to us at careers@harbourenergy.com